The Sanctuary Services
The Daily

The earthly Sanctuary Services consisted of the Daily and the Yearly Services .

The daily included the courtyard and the Holy place.

The yearly services on the Day of Atonement also included the Most Holy place or Holy of Holies .

These services were a figure of Christ and the heavenly -



Hebrews 8:5 (King James Version)

5. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle:


The daily sanctuary services conducted in the courtyard included the morning and evening burnt offerings offered at the altar of burnt offerings and killing of sacrifices for sin.

The morning and evening burnt offerings -

Exodus 29:38-39 (King James Version)

38. Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.

39. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

Sanctuary services - killing of sacrifices for sins -

Leviticus 4:1-4 (King James Version)

1. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:

3. If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.

4. And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the LORD.


The sanctuary services included the 10 commandments placed under the Mercy seat, in the ark of the covenant; in earth and in heaven. God himself wrote these laws that he rules or sits over, and sin is the breaking of these laws-

Exodus 31:18 (King James Version)

18. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

1 John 3:4 (King James Version)

4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The penalty for breaking God’s laws is death - Romans 6:23


Therefore when the Israelites sinned they were breaking the commandments that were under God’s seat in the Most Holy place and were required to die.

However the MERCY seat of God was over the law in the ark, and God showed mercy by allowing a substitute to die for mankind’s sins.

Therefore during the sanctuary services the sinner confessed and symbolically transferred their sins to the sacrificial substitute.

Leviticus 4:27-29 (King James Version)

27. And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;

28. Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.

29. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.

Leviticus 1:4 (King James Version)

4. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Proverbs 28:13 (King James Version)

13. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.


As in the earthly sanctuary services Christ is the ultimate substitute for the heavenly. Jesus paid the penalty for everyone’s sin .

John 1:29 (King James Version)

29. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Revelation 13:8 (King James Version)

8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

All the offerings and sacrifices had to be without spot or blemish -

Exodus 12:5 (King James Version)

5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

As in the earthly sanctuary services, Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God for the heavenly –

1 Peter 1:19 (King James Version)

19. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

In the sanctuary services the shedding of blood was required for forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 9:22 (King James Version)

22. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Leviticus 4:34-35 (King James Version)

34. And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:

35. And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.


As in the earthy sanctuary services, Christ shed his blood for us on Calvary’s cross –

John 19:34 (King James Version)

34. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

Matthew 26:28 (King James Version)

28. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Revelation 1:5 (King James Version)

5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,


During the daily sanctuary services the sins were transferred to the Holy place by the priest carrying the blood of the sin offering into the holy place.

Leviticus 4:5-7 (King James Version)

5. And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:

6. And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary .

7. And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation;


During the daily sanctuary services the blood for certain sacrifices was not taken into the Holy place. Instead the priests ate the sacrifice inside the Holy place to transfer the sins to the sanctuary –

Leviticus 6:25-26 (King James Version)

25. Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy.

26. The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation

As a part of the sanctuary services the priests washed their hands and feet at the Laver.

Exodus 30:18-20

(King James Version)

18. Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

19. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

20. When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:


Washing in the earthly sanctuary services was also a shadow of the heavenly -

Titus 3:4-6 (King James Version)

4. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

6. Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;


In addition to the priest sprinkling the blood on the veil, the daily sanctuary services in the Holy place also consisted of the -

• lighting of the seven golden candlesticks, which represented Jesus the light of the world.
• The eating of the bread on the table of showbread, which represented Jesus the living bread.
• The morning and evening prayers and burning of incense at the altar of incense representing Jesus who intercedes for us.

Jesus Christ is our High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary services.

Click here to read about the Day of Atonement or Yearly Services.

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Exodus Tabernacle